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What we do--camp/mission trip fundraiser...

Discussion in 'Other Discussions' started by rbell, Mar 8, 2010.

  1. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    My thoughts on fundraisers:

    • Overall, I'm not fond of them. They can become the focus, rather than a means to an end.
    • I hate the "nothing for something" fundraisers. If I'm going to give you a tiny box of candy for $5, I'd rather just ask you for the $5.
    • My time is valuable...maybe even more than my money. I'm not interested in having 30 people spend 4 hours at a carwash and raise $300. That's $2.50 per hour, per kid. Not good enough. However...
    • I know that sometimes, for some, they are a "necessary evil."
    We are blessed to have in our community a "men's club" that has a Barbecue hut. It contains several large, gas-fired, commercial "stew pots." We use it to make camp stew. Lots of camp stew. Here's my plan:
    • Any of our camp (kids and JH) or mission trip (SH) kids can participate, but participation is voluntary (but you must participate to reap the benefits).
    • Each child must sell at least 10 quarts of stew to get credit (more is encouraged, but 10 gets you credit). We split our proceeds evenly...some folks, because of work connections or policies...or just "knowing more folks," are able to sell more. But 10 quarts puts forth the effort. Beyond that, we're "helping each other out."
    • Each child (or in the younger cases, a parent) must work a 2-hour shift. We start at 6 am on Friday, and end at 11 am on Saturday...so there's plenty of work (not to mention chopping 280 pounds of white potatoes and (sniff) 125 pounds of onions!).
    • We ask church folks that can to donate supplies (canned foods I specify, meat, etc.). I end up having to spend between $1-2K every year to get what is donated.
    • After expenses, we split the proceeds.
    Still totalling this year...in which we sold nearly 1,200 quarts of stew at $7 each (and it is phenomenal stew). Last year, 80 kids made $90 each for camp...and for each child, it was about 3-4 hours of work (now THAT'S a good rate). For families that had three kids going to camp...one kid got paid for.

    And a side benefit: It's a great time of fun, fellowship, and our church enjoys seeing the kids work for their money, rather than just be given it.

    Just sharin' an idea.
     
  2. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    Can't really comment until I've tried the stew. You sold 1200 quarts so it can't taste like dishwater. You called it phenomenal but that subjective. rbell, you're just going to have to put a jar of that stew in the mail. I am what they call in these parts a big ole boy. I did not get to be a big ole boy eating carrot sticks and fat-free yogurt. So go ahead and send that quart of stew to Padre's House Middleville NY (It'll come right to my door with that address. If I'm lying I'm dying but I digress:laugh:) Anyway, send that stew along and I will supply you with an expert opinion at no charge. :thumbsup: It will be of no benefit to you but why should I take the chance on missing out on some stew.....

    We raised $4000 for a mission team building and selling Adirondack chairs. Not surprising the chairs are easy to build and quite popular here in the Adirondacks. One of our fellers has a very nice woodworking shop. There were about 10 of us - each with their own workstation - cutting and sanding. Two of us could assemble a chair in about 15 minutes.

    I'm with you on the fundraising. I pastored with a mainline denomination for 13 years that thought it was the community's responsibility to keep the lights on at church. They were always having rummage or bake sales or dinners and such. Raising money for something specific like sending the kids off to camp is very different.
     
  3. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    we say we need it, and this is the goal amount , and people give, nothing in return except blessings.
     
  4. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    OK, I sent you an envelope with camp stew in it. Problem is, it was already soggy by the time I got it in the mailbox. Come to think of it...if you get it, don't eat it. :laugh:

    I love the adirondack chair idea! Now that's original.

    And thanks for mentioning what you did...let me say this: We don't do many fundraisers at all (in fact, most years, this is it!) But we will only do a fundraiser for a ministry-oriented event (in other words...if we're taking the youth to six flags...we're not doing a fundraiser; only events like mission trips or camps--events with a distinctly ministry or missions-focus).
     
  5. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    I like the idea of fundraisers a lot more than having the kids send out "mission letters" asking for support. We see that a lot.

    At my sister's church, the youth cook and serve dinner to raise funds for their annual summer mission trip. Then, they have a "pie auction" for the desserts. Over the years, some of the pies have gained quite a reputation so the bidding can get quite fierce. Plus, since the folks know that the money is really going to the youth's mission trip, the case received far outweighs the actual costs.

    Another fun/silly method they've used is the pink flamingo night. On one night, they put pink flamingos in congregant's yards -- based on a certain donations. For $x, they will place a pink flamingo in someone's yard for you. For $xxxx, you can purchase "flamingo" insurance to keep it from being placed. I've heard they've had lots of fun with this.
     
  6. Steven2006

    Steven2006 New Member

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    Personally if I am going to be approached to donate in the form of buying something, I would prefer to buy a $5.00 box of candy than a $7.00 container of home made stew.

    But that is what makes life interesting. If we all liked the exact same thing think of how boring life would be.
     
  7. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    I don't like doing "fund raising" for youth or mission trips.

    BUT, sometimes that is what we do. Over the years, we have...

    ...had garage sales.

    ...had fish plate sales.

    ...had "slave" sales...and worked it off...

    ...cooked meals and offered them like on Wednesday nights or after church on Sunday.


    ...
     
  8. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    I'll pray for you, brother.























    :D :D
     
  9. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Selling dinner is big business here in AL.

    I've done several fundraisers where we sold Chicken and dressing plates and did a raised a good deal of money. We usually sold them for delievery at lunch. People HAVE to eat lunch and to get something "different" is always well recieved!
     
  10. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    Our church has three rescue missions that provide a wide variety of services to the homeless, the poor, the elderly, and pretty much anybody who needs help.

    We have a small, unaccredited Bible school. It costs roughly $69 per course, but anyone can come and sit in regardless of their ability to pay.

    For all of these things, we have one rule that we hold to very strictly and that is that we will never turn anyone away and we will never charge money for the Gospels (OK, that's two rules).

    So, because of that, we rely on fundraisers. We have a thrift store, we have bake sales, we have bar-b-que dinners, and we have our biggest one, "Spring Tune Up" coming up this very weekend. Spring Tune Up is where people bring in their lawnmowers, bicycles, other tools or garden implements, or blades that need sharpening and we tune them up. It started out just with lawnmowers and grew from there. This one event funds about 75% of our expenses related to outreach.

    We have also had some awsome flea markets and auctions on EBay and have had some benefit concerts.

    We're planning to begin a private Christian school in '12 and we're also planning not to charge tuition, so fundraisers will take on an even more important role.
     
    #10 JohnDeereFan, Mar 17, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 17, 2010
  11. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    You know, that's really funny, because I belong to a local Parrothead club and I've made Adirondacks and benches and lawn furniture to auction off for the club. Being a Parrothead club, I build them and somebody else paints them in tropical themes. I honestly don't know why it didn't occur to me to do this for our ministries until you brought it up.
     
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